Articles

Student activist, Saw Thet Thun was arrested twice – in 1991 and 1999 – spending nearly 20 years in prison, he was released in 2007. Saw Thet Thun recalls some of the horrors he and fellow prisoners faced in those years. “The biggest hardship was being tortured. The prison authorities would treat us as less than human, like dogs. They…

Opposition political parties, including ethnic Karen parties, welcomed the announcement by Burma’s Election Commission (UEC) to cancel nationwide by-elections planned for late 2014. The by-elections scheduled for later this year were to fill 35 vacant parliamentary seats. Mahn Aung Pyi Soe, vice chairperson of the Plone-Swor Democratic Party (PSDP), a Hpa-an based Karen political party, said the cancellation is a…

A bomb allegedly set to explode at 10:55am was found next to the Thai-Burma friendship bridge in Myawaddy town early Monday morning, 15 September 2014. The bomb lying beside the side-walk in front of AH Car Parts Store adjacent to the foot of the bridge in section 1 of Myawaddy. Witnesses said that Daw Aye Myint, a municipality garbage worker…

The Karen Women’s Organization (KWO), a community-based organization that represents 49,000 Karen women across Burma, has criticized the decision by the Karen National Union to withdraw from the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) last month. Naw K’nyaw Paw, secretary of the KWO, said the KNU would do itself more harm politically if it decided to leave the UNFC completely. “It…

The government-backed Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) met with the Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN), that represents 28 Karen community based organizations, to discuss concerns regarding a Japanese economic development blueprint for South East Burma. Following the September 11 meeting, Naw Susanna Hla Hla Soe, from KPSN spoke to Karen News. “Primarily, we discussed how the two sides would cooperate on…

Medics working with civilians displaced by fighting in Kachin State are struggling to cope because of a lack of resources – community based organizations warn of a potential health crisis. Information provided to Karen News by the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand, allege that health workers are struggling to cope with the thousands of people displaced by conflict. “Every month we…

The decision by the leadership of the Karen National Union to suspend membership from the United Nationalities Federal Council in August has been met with both criticism and praise, with one analyst stating the move was the “right decision to make,” while some Karen community leaders have argued it weakens the ethnic groups’ push for peace and ethnic equality. Speaking…

A coalition of Shan community based organizations has said a moratorium on resource extraction is urgently needed until there is nationwide peace and a discussion on the control and management of the country’s natural resources, much of which are in ethnic areas. The Shan CBOs referred to an anti-mining protest held on 5th September by 3,000 villagers in the town…

More than 30 ethnic Karen community based organizations, including environmental watchdogs and civil society organizations, have criticized a blueprint for economic development in Southeast Burma published by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), an aid agency that operates under the Japanese government. The report, published on 9 September, by a coalition of 28 Karen CBOs – calling themselves the Karen…

The renowned Karen artist, Saw Kyaw La Thein, while on a visit to Australia called on the Karen diaspora to preserve Karen culture. Saw Kyaw La Thein was attending an event, on September 6, that showcased traditional Karen music, dance that was organized by the Karen community in Sydney. “The Karen language, literacy and customs are the blood and life…